Kyle Sandilands channels his inner Russell Crowe as he recreates iconic scene from Gladiator

Kyle Sandilands played out his Gladiator fantasies in South Australia on Thursday as he was filming an episode of Australian Idol.

The KIIS FM radio star, 52, channelled his inner Russell Crowe, who starred in the 2000 Ridley Scott film, as he visited a wheat field.

Accompanied by a film crew, the shock jock recreated the iconic scene of character Maximus, played by Hollywood star Russell, 59, running his hand through wheat. 

‘Hey Russell, this is for you, brother,’ Kyle said before bending down to run his fingers through wheat while a cameraman captured a close up on film.

Surrounded by nothing but flat plains and farmland, the media personality boasted: ‘Some would argue I actually did it better. Some. Not you. You wouldn’t argue that.’ 

The close-up clip of Maximus’ hand running through a wheat field was a recurring motif throughout the epic historical drama film.

Ridley, 86, the movie’s director, recently told Deadline the memorable scene ‘became the catalyst for immortality, or heaven’ leading up to Maximus’ death.

Despite the renown of the image, the filmmaker confessed it wasn’t even Russell’s hand he filmed in the wheat field, because the actor wasn’t in Italy at the time.  

The KIIS FM radio star channelled his inner Russell Crowe, 59, (pictured in Gladiator) who gained wide notoriety for starring in the 2000 Ridley Scott film, as he visited a wheat field

Filmed in Tuscany as the last scene of the principal photography, it was actually the hand of Russell’s body double filmed running through the wheat. 

‘The guy was standing there in this field, smoking. I go, get out of the field, are you joking? It was mid-summer, dry,’ Ridley explained.

‘He says, “Oh, sorry man.” He walked out [of the field], and did that thing with the hand. I said, “Stop right there. Get the Steadicam.”‘

Accompanied by a film crew, the shock jock recreated the iconic scene of character Maximus, played by Hollywood star Russell running his hand through wheat

Gladiator was both a commercial ($503million worldwide) and critical hit, winning five Oscars including one for Russel as Best Actor and another for Best Picture.

After talks of a sequel happening for over two decades, Ridley has finally returned to direct Gladiator 2 with Paul Mescal starring as the leading man. 

Russel confirmed in March last year on The Ryan Tubridy Show he will not be returning to work on the sequel, but wishes Paul, 27, ‘the best of luck’. 

Paul will be playing the nephew of Commodus, the emperor who murdered Maximus’ family in the first film, portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix.